By Matija Šerić
The greatest phenomenon in basketball and the NBA, who has been astonishing fans around the world for the past ten years, is Nikola Jokić. The mere mention of the Serbian national team player’s name has become synonymous with the very best that basketball can offer. One only needs to look at last night’s Denver Nuggets game to witness the invaluable quality brought by the No. 15 center.
Jokić – The Irreplaceable Force of the Nuggets
In that game, the Nuggets “shocked” the favored Houston Rockets led by Kevin Durant, securing a very valuable 112–109 victory on the road. Jokić was once again the main driver of the team, both offensively and defensively. In 39 minutes on the court, he scored 34 points (55% field goal percentage, 80% free throws, 4 of 8 from three-point range), recorded nine assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also stole two crucial balls and made two blocks. In this game, he received strong support from Jamal Murray (26 points, 10 assists) and Peyton Watson (10 rebounds, 9 points).
However, without this Serbian prodigy, the Colorado team would have been convincingly defeated by the powerful Rockets, who are title favorites. Jokić is a superstar—or even a megastar—without whom the Nuggets cannot be serious contenders. Currently, Denver holds second place in the Western Conference with a 12–3 record. The leading Oklahoma City Thunder have 16 wins and only one loss.
Houston Rockets vs Denver Nuggets Full Game Highlights
Leading the League in Four Categories
Statistics, both short-term and long-term, demonstrate Jokić’s tremendous impact. In the current season, he has played 15 games, starting in all of them, averaging 34.8 minutes per game. He scores 29.5 points (7th in the league), pulls down 13 rebounds (leading the league), dishes out 11 assists (1st in the league), and averages 1.7 steals. His field goal percentage is an enormous 63.4%, and he has made 41.1% of his three-point attempts. The combination of high assists and three-point efficiency is rarely seen in a center. Currently, aside from rebounds and assists, Jokić also leads the league in double-doubles and triple-doubles. If he maintains his lead in assists and rebounds through the end of the season, he will be the first to achieve this since Wilt Chamberlain in the 1967–68 season.
The Top Player of the Current Decade
Moreover, Jokić has recently become the leading NBA player in points, assists, rebounds, and steals since the start of the decade—from 2020 to November 2025. He thus broke a record, becoming the first player in NBA history in any decade to lead in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He ranks first in all four categories with 13,242 points, 6,030 rebounds, 4,326 assists, and 703 steals (playoff stats included). A phenomenal achievement that will go down in basketball history.
Jokić’s interview with the press
Humility – A Virtue of the Great
Even more striking is that these achievements have not made Jokić arrogant. In NBA history, great success has often fueled the flamboyant and unsportsmanlike behavior of superstars such as Dennis Rodman, Allen Iverson, and Russell Westbrook. The Nuggets superstar remains humble, quiet, and reserved. Fame, money, expensive cars, and changing women are not his priorities—basketball is. Avoiding media hype and showmanship benefits Jokić as a player and Denver as a team, but it is less ideal for the NBA, which is also an entertainment and controversy business. If Jokić were American, or a “bad boy” like Draymond Green or Rasheed Wallace, it would create more marketing and PR opportunities, boosting NBA viewership. In strictly basketball terms, however, the popular “Joker” behaves as a true elite athlete, Spartan in mentality.
A Team Player
Unlike many other superstars, Jokić does not use his extraordinary talent merely to boost his own statistics at the expense of the team. On the contrary, he uses his talent to help his team as much as possible. The fact that a center is leading in assists in the 2020s reflects immense selflessness. Had he been selfish, he wouldn’t pass as much, take over the offense, or participate actively in all phases of the game from end to end.
A Unique Style of Play
Although Jokić is 6’11” (211 cm) and 285 lbs (129 kg), and may appear awkward at first glance, his athleticism and basketball knowledge allow him to impose an unconventional yet highly effective style of play. Many analysts would call his style an anomaly, but it is a style that has changed—and will continue to change—basketball for the better. His elite basketball IQ (some analysts claim 1,000) manifests in countless ways:
- Mastery of game tempo (intentional slow pace to throw off opponents and create space)
- Fantastically creative and successful passing (including no-look and one-handed passes)
- Outstanding shooting efficiency from all positions (especially three-pointers and signature “rainbow” floaters)
- Dominance in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop situations (top screener in the league)
- Elegant back-to-the-basket play (post-ups), and exceptional rebounding intelligence
- Ability to draw fouls with positioning and fakes
A Natural Leader
Jokić has remarkable mental stability in key moments. He never panics when the Nuggets are behind, is willing to take the final shot, and remains composed when the team is leading, knowing that a +20 lead can quickly evaporate. These are the hallmarks of a quality leader. His style is so unique that he serves both as a center and the primary playmaker—a true “point center.” No one in NBA history has done it quite like the irreplaceable Denver center of this decade. In his game, there are virtually no weaknesses worth mentioning.
Top 30 plays of the career
The Best of All Time?
So far, Nikola Jokić has won only one team championship (the 2023 NBA title) and numerous individual awards (2023 Finals MVP, 2021, 2022, and 2024 league MVPs, seven-time All-Star). At 30 years old and far from the end of his career, he already seems like a phenomenon without competition. If he continues performing at this level in this and future seasons, many basketball fans believe Jokić will earn the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) label. According to the author, rightfully so. Neither Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, nor LeBron James demonstrated such breadth and versatility in all aspects of basketball as the brilliant Serbian center. His only drawback, perhaps, is that he is not American, so his achievements are not fully appreciated in the public eye. But what matters is what he demonstrates on the court—a performance truly worthy of the world’s marvels.
References:
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3112335/nikola-jokic
https://nugglove.com/nikola-jokic-is-dominating-area-analytics-wants-to-kill
